Rewind
by Still Not King
Summary: After a spell of Zatanna's misfires, Artemis is turned into a little kid. She takes a liking to Wally, but all Wally can think about is how much he misses the regular Artemis. Eventual Wally/Artemis.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: **This is my first multichapter fic for Young Justice. It takes place after episode 20 ("Coldhearted") and while there aren't overt spoilers, I'm putting a spoiler warning for all aired episodes up to 20. The main characters are Wally and Artemis and there will be eventual Wally/Artemis; as for other pairings, there will be M'gann/Conner, slight one-sided Wally/M'gann, and slight Robin/Zatanna.

This chapter is also kind of short, mostly because it's serving as the prologue. The other chapters should be longer than this one.

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><p>Artemis was not having the best of days.<p>

First, she had been late to school and then when she got there she realized that she had forgotten about the chemistry test her class was supposed to have. Then, after school she had gotten into an argument with her mother and now she was late for the team meeting.

Well it was less a team meeting than it was a support group for Zatanna; she had been going through some of her father's old spell books and wanted to practice some of them. They had all agreed to watch her practice and then get pizza and watch some movies, and she was late.

But not that late; she can hear Zatanna attempting to cast something so she hurries up towards the living room. She's just skidding to a halt when suddenly she's blinded by a bright light and there's a loud ringing in her ears and then-

_everything changed_.

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><p>Wally was having a pretty good time; he was sitting next to Robin and Kaldur on the couch, drinking soda, and trying to be supportive of his new teammate. Zatanna hadn't been having much luck tonight; so far, she hadn't been able to work any of the spells in her father's book and her frustration was really starting to show.<p>

After another failed attempt at turning an apple into a cat, she groaned and collapsed back onto a couch, next to M'gann and Conner. Wally winced imperceptivity when he looked over at the couple; M'gann and Conner were holding hands and he had to fight the urge to disappear into the kitchen. Tonight, wasn't about him or his lack of a love life, it was about helping Zatanna.

So, he forced a grin and exclaimed, "Don't worry about it, Zatanna. You just need a little more practice is all."

Zatanna smiled faintly but it didn't reach her eyes. "Dad always made magic looks so easy…but I'm just not getting it."

He shifted uncomfortably, not knowing what to say; he had never lost any family members so he never really knew what to say whenever Zatarra was brought up. The others looked just as uncomfortable as he felt but Robin jumped in:

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Z, it's not aster."Zatanna's smile widened a bit at that and Robin kept going, "Try one more spell and whenever Artemis gets here we'll whip out the pizza.'

She nodded and went to look through the book for something else to try; in the meantime, Wally leaned back in his seat and imagined the pay back he was going to give Artemis for the time she gave him a hard time for being late.

A few minutes later, Zatanna, book balanced on her lap, began to recite: "Nrut kcab eht kcolc".

She narrowed her eyes in concentration, staring hard at the apple, and kept repeating that sentence. He really hoped this would work; Zatanna needed something to go right in her life right now.

Frustration began to creep back into her voice, but she kept going. He was just about to get up and for a soda when suddenly three things happened:

Artemis skidded to a halt in the living room.

Zatanna, surprised, jumped up and her spell, which now finally decided to work, hit Artemis right in the chest.

"Artemis!" He shouted and, for someone who claimed to be the fastest boy alive, he found he was moving all to slow. Before he could reach out to Artemis, a bright light blinded him and he was forced to cover his eyes.

A few minutes later the light receded and he opened his eyes to see not Artemis but a little blonde girl standing in her place. She was small and her clothes, which fit Artemis just fine, were much too big on her. She was staring intently at them, fear evident in her, no Artemis', eyes.

Everyone was silent for a long moment and Wally felt completely frozen to his spot in front of the girl. Finally, M'gann, half standing from the couch, asked, "Artemis?"

The girl stared at her and responded, "How do you know my name?"

Zatanna cursed softly, "Shit."

_Yeah, _thought Wally, _that pretty much sums it up_.

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><p><strong>Author's Notes: <strong>Constructive criticism is accepted.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: **Sorry, this update took so long. I had a pretty rough second semester at college and I had to focus on school. The next update shouldn't take so long.

I'd also like to thank everyone who reviewed, favrioted, or put a story alert on this fic. I'm glad you're all liking the story so far.

I'm also going to add a warning for non-graphic child abuse and neglect. I'm keeping this fic more on the light-hearted side but I do occasionaly have to go into Artemis' childhood, which we all know wasn't happy. Though I promise I will keep the details as non-graphic as possible.

Now onto the story.

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><p>Artemis was scared.<p>

She had no idea where she was, who the older kids surrounding her were, or how that green girl knew her name (Why was she green anyway? Was she like the Martian Manhunter?). The last thing she remembered was being in her room trying to talk Jade out of running away.

Had she been kidnapped? Were these people angry at her Dad and kidnapped her in revenge? Had Dad been arrested and she was brought here to live with these kids? The worst part was that she couldn't tell if she was more sad or relieved at the prospect of her Dad being arrested; she missed her Mom much more than she could ever miss him.

She had no idea but she didn't want to stick around and find out. The red-haired boy standing in front of her took a step closer to her and she reacted: she elbowed him hard in the solar plexus, just like Dad taught her too. He moaned and she kicked off the shoes that were too big on her and took off running.

She wasn't sure yet where she was running too. She had no idea where her Dad could be, her Mom was in jail, and Jade just left their family. She turned a corner and yelped when she nearly slipped and fell; the jeans she had on were way too big and were probably going to trip her again so she bent down and rolled them up quick. Those people hadn't come after her yet, she probably surprised them by fighting back, but she didn't know how much longer she had before they started running after her.

Before she could figure out where the exit was or start running again, a red blur suddenly appeared and scooped her up. She yelled and tried to push away but the arms were too strong and whoever it was pressed her against his chest.

She looked up to see the face of the red-haired boy grinning down at her.

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><p>After Artemis, though he was still having problems reconciling that little girl with his teammate, had hit him and ran all he could do for a moment was stare after her. He blamed his unusually slow reaction time on shock: it wasn't everyday that one of your friends turned another one of your friends into a little kid after all.<p>

The others were in the same boat as him, too stunned to entirely process what happened. Well, except Zatanna, who was sitting with her face in her hands, she looked like she was processing the situation all too well.

Kaldur recovered first. "Artemis cannot be allowed to leave in her condition. We need to get her to trust us and we need to call the League. They need to be told of the situation."

A voice croaked out, "I'll get her" and it took Wally a few seconds to realize it was his own. He wasn't the only one surprised at his volunteering; Conner had raised an eyebrow and the others (except Zatanna who hadn't looked up yet) all had similar skeptical expressions on their faces.

It irritated him; he was good with kids and Queen Perdita had really liked him. A Queen had liked him for crying out loud, that should have been the biggest stamp of approval ever. Whatever, he'd show them he could handle the Artemis situation.

"I'll get her. You guys get someone from the League here."

And with that, he was off.

She hadn't gotten far, probably because she didn't remember the layout of the base, and before she could react he overtook her and grabbed her. She yelled and tried to push away but he just tightened his grip; he grinned down at her but she glared up at him.

Now that was a bit more like the Artemis he knew.

"Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you; I'm one of the good guys!"

She just stared at him with a "Yeah, right" expression.

"I mean it. I'm Kid Flash, the Flash's sidekick obv-"

"The Flash doesn't have a sidekick."

She looked more distrustful than she had a minute ago and Wally cursed himself. How could he be that stupid? Now he really had to do some damage control.

With calmness he wasn't feeling, he explained, "Of course that's what he wants people to think. What all of them want people to think actually since all my friends are sidekicks too. The League uses us for missions that the League can't go on."

And she was not buying this at all.

Wally sighed, "I can prove it. Just give me twenty minutes." That should definitely be enough time from someone from the League to get here.

"Right," she muttered under her breath.

"Look you don't have a lot of options here. All of my friends are going to be prepared if you try to run away again. I can just carry you back to where my friends are but I want you to come willingly." She still didn't look convinced so he set her back down on the ground and started to walk away.

_Please come with me, please come with me…_

A few seconds later he heard a groan and then running footsteps; he looked down to see Artemis trying to keep pace with him so, even though he was already going painfully slow, he slowed down so she could walk with him. She didn't say anything and neither did he as they reached the living room…

…and saw Batman, arms crossed over his chest, standing in the middle of the room. His friends were nowhere in sight.

Wally suddenly felt a tug on his arm; Artemis had grabbed on to it.

He frowned; out of the entire League why did the most intimidating one have to be the one who came? Were Superman and Wonder Woman both busy? Well it was too late to change that now so he smiled at Artemis in what he hoped was a supportive way and approached Batman.

"We need to talk," Batman told Artemis. "There are some things you need to know." He turned towards Wally. "Kid Flash go home, I can handle-"

"No!"

Wally jumped as Artemis wrapped both her arms around his. The little girl glared at Batman, _the Batman_, and said, "I won't go anywhere with you without him."

Yeah, this girl was definitely Artemis.

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><p><strong>Author's Notes: <strong>Constructive critisim is accepted.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **I'm really sorry about the long wait for this chapter. I'd been finishing up college and had gotten a major case of writer's block. But I've graduated this summer and will have more time for writing. The writer's block has also gone away.

The next chapter should be done soon. Thank you to everyone who's read, reviewed, or favorited this story.

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><p>Artemis was scared, Batman wanted to talk to her, but she wasn't going to let that show. Dad always said to never let people know when you're afraid or they'd think you're weak. And the weak didn't last long in their family's work.<p>

So, she grabbed onto the red haired boy's arm and told Batman that the older kid was coming with her. If Wally was who he said, than Batman would be fine with him tagging along; besides, that meant Batman would have to hold back, he wouldn't want to upset another hero (probably…she hoped). She would have doubted that the man in front of her was Batman, but she didn't think anyone but Batman could pull off Batman.

And this man did.

She'd seen Batman on television once and the guy creeped her out even though he was a good guy. He was scary and she'd had nightmares for a couple of days about him arresting her parents which Jade made fun of her for. _Stupid Jade._

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><p>The room was completely silent after Artemis had shouted at Batman, and the super-hero studied the two for a moment, eyes almost imperceptibly glancing from her face to her arms wrapped around the rather surprised Kid Flash. Not a lot got past him, especially not the almost desperate way she grabbed on to Wally, nor the way her face had gone pale at the sight of him. She was trying to seem like she wasn't afraid, but he knew better. He had to try and not frighten her anymore than she already was.<p>

Then he nodded at the little girl. "If that would make you more comfortable, then Kid Flash may stay." He titled his head at the couch. "Both of you take a seat."

The two followed the order, though Artemis continued to cling to Wally's arm if a bit less forcefully than she had before. He stood in front of them, and he looked directly at Artemis as he spoke, "You have been brought here for your protection. Your father, Sports Master, has been targeted by some former associates and has gone on the run."

Silence answered his statement. Artemis just stared at him and next to her Wally looked as if his jaw was about to drop open. After a few moments of shock, the girl asked, "What?"

Batman responded matter-of-factly, "Associates of your father have turned on him and he was forced to go on the run." When neither she nor Kid Flash looked about to respond he continued, "I was searching for your father for an ongoing case of mine, when I found evidence of his escape. I went to his apartment to see if I could determine his whereabouts when I found you there."

He paused, studying Artemis. The girl hadn't seemed surprised that her father hadn't taken her with him which told him more of her relationship with her family than she could know.

Not unkindly, he continued, "In order to protect you from retaliation I brought you to the base you're currently in. Knowledge of Kid Flash's team is kept strictly on a need-to-know basis so you will be well-hidden here." Once again, he paused. "Do you have any questions?"

Artemis blinked and then asked, "Can I see my Mom?"

Sadly, he shook his head. "We can't take the risk that your mother's prison is being watched."

Her face fell and for a minute she looked as if she would cry. Then she bit her lip and nodded her acceptance. He sighed then directed his attention to Kid Flash, who seemed in shock.

"Kid Flash, take Artemis to her room. This has all been a lot to take in and she needs her rest."

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><p>As Wally lead Artemis away from Batman and towards her room, his mind was reeling. Before all of this insanity, he hadn't known that much about her outside of the team. He remembered her mentioning her mother once or twice, but nothing more than that. If he had thought about her possible family at all, he probably would have assumed that she had a normal one.<p>

But what he heard tonight blew his mind. Artemis' father was Sports Master and her mother had been in jail when she was a kid. There was no way he could have seen any of that coming and she was supposed to be Green Arrow's neice?! He guessed that must have been a cover story for her, so no one on the team would suspect her background.

Well, no one besides Roy. Whatever, he wasn't even on the team.

He was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts by a girl's voice, "This is somebody else's room."

He blinked and then peered into the room Artemis had walked into. _Oh, for the love of…!_ He had been so out of after Batman's debriefing, he'd taken her to her actual room. Hoping, she hadn't seen anything in there he couldn't explain, he went in after her.

Luckily, there weren't any photos or other personal stuff that would confuse the now younger Artemis. Her costume, as well as her bow and quiver of arrows, were in her closet, the door of which was left ajar. There was no way she'd recognize either of those anyway.

As he stared around the room with the young girl who had been his teammate just a few hours ago, he realized that he'd never been in Artemis' room before. It felt weird being in it now.

She had followed his gaze to the closet, taking in the bow and arrows, and exclaimed, "You have an archer on your team? Cool!" He could tell by the look on her face that she was impressed.

He smiled at her enthusiasm, while hurriedly trying to think of a cover story. "Yeah, this is Arrowete's room. She's away on a mission with Green Arrow right now so you can use it."

She looked uncertain. "You're sure she won't be mad?"

He smiled. "She won't be mad. Now go to bed, Batman's orders."

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><p>Wally had gone back to his room after he had made sure Artemis was comfortable in her room. He glanced at the clock, sighing when he saw how late it already was. He had wanted to call his parents, explain the situation to them, but it looked like that would have to wait until tomorrow. Instead, he'd check his email before hitting the sack himself.<p>

To his surprise he'd gotten a message from Batman:

_Kid Flash,_

_Do not tell anyone about what you have learned about Artemis' family. It isn't vital to your teammates to know this information and Artemis wished for it to be kept private. _

_Furthermore, I've taken the liberty of sending emails to the others, informing them of the cover story I gave Artemis. It is important that Artemis isn't exposed to anything that could reveal the deception; she has no memories of her actual age, her mother's release from prison, nor any of you. At best, learning any of this, will confuse her and at worse it could cause some psychological damage. _

_Finally, I've spoken to Zatanna and she believes the spell Artemis is under is only temporary. It should wear off soon, but just to be sure, she and Robin will be researching ways to restore Artemis to her correct age._

_Batman._

He rolled his eyes at the first two paragraphs; he wasn't an idiot and he wouldn't blab Artemis' secrets to the rest of the team. Obviously, she hadn't wanted anyone to know and if she changed her mind after she'd gotten back to normal than she could tell them herself. Not wanting to fall asleep annoyed, he reassured himself if anyone could find a way to break the spell it would be Robin and Zatanna.

With that, he closed his laptop and readied himself for bed, vaguely hoping that he would wake up in the morning to find out all of this had been a dream.

Unfortunately, he had never been that lucky.

The morning had come faster than he hoped; he had no idea whether he'd been asleep for hours or just moments, he was so tired. Yawning, he forced himself to get out of bed, get dressed, and head downstairs for breakfast.

All thoughts of last night had been pushed to the back off his mind. He might not have remembered the events of the previous night for hours if the younger Artemis hadn't been sitting at the kitchen table. She was sitting quietly, watching Megan, the only other member of the team awake at the moment, make pancakes.

She looked up when he entered and he awkwardly mumbled a greeting. She returned it and he sat across from her, not knowing if he should start a conversation or not. He was slightly cheered by the fact that she looked as awkward as he felt.

Both of them were saved from an uncomfortable silence by Megan who had only just noticed Wally's arrival. She beamed at him, "Good morning, Wally! The pancakes should be ready soon."

He smiled warmly. "Thanks, Megan."

Megan looked like she was about to say something when a look of dismay flashed across her face. "Hello Megan, I promised Conner I'd wake him up for breakfast! Could you watch the pancakes for a second, Wally, I'll be right back."

The warmth that he'd felt from Megan faded at the mention of Conner, but he nodded at her anyway. He took her place in front of the stove as she darted out of the kitchen.

The uncomfortable silence returned as he kept an eye on breakfast.

Then Artemis, completely perplexed, asked, "Does she say say, 'Hello, Megan,' a lot?"

He couldn't help it, he laughed.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Constructive criticism is accepted.


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